My First Meeting With A Psychologist

I never thought I would have a meeting with a psychologist. Furthermore, I had never thought much about their work or what therapy could do for me. But one day everything changed. I began to feel that something was not right within me without being able to explain why.

I felt less motivated; I did not get the same enjoyment of things I once liked. It got harder and harder to get out of bed and out of the house every day, even though I felt better once I was out. I felt I wanted out, but could not. It was a strange feeling that made me think that something might be wrong with my mental health.

Time passed and nothing seemed to change or improve. In the end, I took the courage to book a meeting with a psychologist. I did not know what to expect, what to say or how to start when I arrived at his office.

I was very nervous and silent. Now that I have seen the results, however, I can say that it was definitely worth it. It was also different compared to what I expected.

The first time I had a meeting with a psychologist , he started asking me why I decided to seek help. That I could not explain it scared me. Like I said before, I just felt bad. I could not find any reasons or words for my discomfort. Contrary to what I expected, it was actually very easy to talk to him.

He could help me put my problems into words. He did not make me feel lonely or helpless, and he did not say what I wanted to hear. He just taught me to analyze and work on what was not going well. He helped me become aware of my shortcomings, but also my potential.

But we did not just talk. From the beginning, from the first visit, we agreed that we had a common goal. What we wanted to do was help me go beyond the feelings of discomfort that made me book a meeting with a psychologist to begin with.

This is perhaps the most difficult part of the therapy. You are not a passive being who receives a magical solution to your problems. Instead, you realize that your problems can change, grow or disappear. It all depends on how you perceive them and what you do with them, directly or indirectly.

That’s when you realize that there are no spells. Change is difficult. Sometimes it’s harder to change than to go through the problem that made you see a psychologist. During the process, your perception of yourself can change, and it can be scary. But the goal is not to feel good in the short term, you are working to change what will help you feel good in the long run.

When you begin your therapy and begin to make changes, you should not expect a dance on roses. Since I was now aware of my problems, I often tried to label them. However, these labels did not always agree with what my psychologist told me.

It made me trust him less because I thought no one knew me better than myself. Later I realized that just like no one knows me better than myself, I specialize in feeling the mental feathers and gears that my psychology sees them.

It was something pretty simple, but initially I did not see it. It turns out that we can all be masters of self-deception. Self-deception leads us to become too cruel or kind to ourselves. This makes it impossible for us to see our own reality clearly.

So often we wallow in guilt over how we feel or how we are, just because of how bad it is. But therapy is like a mirror; it shows you exactly who you are, not who you wish you were or what you accuse yourself of being.

During my first meeting with the psychologist, he helped me release the feelings of guilt I had over not having reached my goals and not putting all my energy into reaching them. From this point of view , he also helped me to take responsibility for the feelings that were born out of this guilt.

For all these reasons, my first meeting was with a psychologist. Now I am stronger, have more resources and my understanding of the world is more balanced. Now I know I’m not perfect. I have actually gotten some affection for the shortcomings that caused so much frustration in the past.

I can confront life and I can fail. Everything that does not make me weaker strengthens my motivation to continue to grow. I will definitely still have fears, but they no longer creep into my mind to paralyze me. My fears do not control me, because I have the support to untie the knots that used to hold me captive.